Mechanized mount for the assembly of flat printing plates



J. MURRAY April io, 1945.

MECHANIZNED MOUNT FOR THE ASSEMBLY FLAT PRINTING PLATES Filed Jan. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aww l lI-/ulll lllllllllllll/IIII J4. MURRAY April w, 1945.

MECHANIZED MOUNT FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF FLAT PRINTING PLATES Filed Jan. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 rllll l ll.

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J. MURRAY MECHANIZED MOUNT FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF FLAT PRINTING PLATES Filed Jan. 29, 1944 April l0, 1945.

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Patented Apr. 10, 1945 maar n MECHANIZED MOUNT FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF FLAT PRINTING PLATES John Murray, Chobham, England Application January 29, 1944, Serial No. 520,248. In Great Britain November` 24, 1942 (C1. lOl-383) 2 Claims.

This invention has for its object the more expeditious assembly of printing plates on flat beds of printing machines used mainly in the printing of books, magazines, and the like, in order to decrease the number of preparatory or standing hours of the machine, and thus increase the operating or producing period 'of the lif-e of the machine.

The material of which the beds are madev may be' metal, or metal in combination with thermoplastic or thermo-setting material.

A complete working mount or .bedis made up by the assembly of unit sectionseach of eight pages to the size required for the sheet to bev printed therefrom.

One popular size of printed sheet is forty by thirty inches', requiring four unit sections, making thirty two pages. Another size is sixty by forty inches, requiring eight unit sections for sixty four pages.

Each eight-plate or unit section of the mount comprises four sub-sections which are assembled in series into a metal frame-work. Each subsection provides a surface for two plates at the` required height. On the under surface of each sub-section are T. slots which accommodate and form guideways for racks which operate gearsV for actuating plate-clamping dogs.

A mechanized mount for the assembly of flat printing plates, according to the invention, `is illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and 1a together co-nstitute a plan view of an eight-page or unit section. Fig. lb is a longitudinal section of a subsection of the mount. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mount. Figs. 3 and 3a are a detail plan view and an end View, respectively, of a subsec-` tion. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a pair of crossbars. Figs. 5 and 5a are a vertical section and a plan, respectively, of a gear unit. Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary detail views. Fig. 8 is a plan of a modified form of subsection.

Referring to the drawings, the eight-plate or unit section of the mount shown. comprises. four subsections A, B, C, D, respectively, which are assembled in series into a metal frame 9, I0, I2. Each subsection provides a surface for two plates such as P at the required height. On the under surface of each subsection are three T slots 5, which may be machined or may be die cast in the subsections of the mount. The top portions of the T slots 5 accommodate and form guideways for racks Ii which mesh with gears 7 adapted to actuate plate-clamping dogs 8.'

The frame comprises two parallel side bars 9 tted into slots in a tie bar I0 at one end, and.`

xed with screws I I or other means. The other ends of the bars 9 are tted into slots in a tie bar I2 provided with slots for the passage of theracks 6, and with tapped holes intowhich are fitted screws I3 by which the racks 6 are adjust-l able. The sides of each subsection are formed to fit over the side bars 9. The distance between the outer edges of the side bars 9 is equal to the widthof a subsection, namely ten inches or thereabouts. Three pairs of crossbars I4, I5, I6 are located on, and attached to the side bars 9, one crossbar of each pair being attached above the side unit section is assembled and viewed from the end which supports the adjusting screws, there are four plates on the left hand, and four plates on the right hand, of the centre line of the unit.

section.

The rmeans by which the eight dogs 8 which determine and maintain the position of the four plates on each side of the back marginal space or centre line of the eight page section are actuated comprises four sets of multi-gear mechanisms, conveniently, triple-gear or twin-gear mechanisms.

For a triple-gear mechanism there are, asv

shown in Figs. 1-7, three holes or bearings I'I, I8, I9 in each subsection located on the centre line, into which are tted the gear units 'I which are assembled in bosses or journals 20 supported withv their axes vertical. The gear units are located as follows: The centre of the mid-gear is on the centre line at or near a point half-way between thetop and bottom of the page. The centres of the other two gears are also located on the centre line, one on each side of the mid-gear, at a distance equal to the desired length of the dogs. On each of the journals of the mid-gears in the four triple-gear groups two eccentric pins 20', 2I are attached, oneat twelve oclock, and the other at six oclock. On the gears adjacent to the twelve oclock side, eccentric pins 22 are also attached at twelve oclock, and on the gears adjacent to the six oclock side eccentric pins 23 are attached at siX oclock. The dogs 8 are tted to the twelve oclock pins in each group, and also to the siX oclock pins in each group. The pins are of equal eccentricity throughout. The racks 6 which eX- tend from one end of the section to the other, are supported as already described, and they are meshed with the respective groups of gear-units. The ends of the racks 6 which extend outside the section have recesses which engage with flanges `24 on the adjusting screws I3, If the racks are tion by the adjustment of onescrlew .or by other means.

Means are provided for straight line movement of the dogs 25 on the fore-edge side of the plates by a twin-gear mechanism.

The outer or fore-edge dogs 25 are attached to movement of each dog is maintained in parallelism by two gears. l

The actuation ofthe two-unit gears may be performed by a rack on one side only by arranging the eccentric pins in a, twelve oclock or six oclock direction as required for the movement of the dogs; or, if preferred, racks may be tted on each side Vof the twin gears.

The control and adjustment of these .racks for the twin-gear method is similar to that for the triple-gear method.

two spaced dovetailed sliding components .26, 21

sunk ush in the upper surface of the subsections. 'Iihe centre line of each sliding component runs through the vcentre of the gear-unit which actuates it. The eccentric pins 2.8 operate in the slots in the sliding components whereby to cause straight line movement of the sliding components. 'Ilie gear. units which actuate the fore-edge dogs -25 are actuated by the vrack .6 at' each side of the subsection, and each rack 6 'isv adjusted by one screw I3, substantially as described for the triplegear mechanism, To facilitate assembly of the gear units in their bearings, the rack 6 must be withdrawn from mesh, a series of 'small eccentrics 29 being located on thecrossbars to make the adjustment. "Situated about half-way along thelength of each of the fore-edge dogs is or are one or more projections 30. These projections 3-6 ,are so shaped that they can engage easily with notches cut in the side of the plates P. `These notches are cut in a position to determine the desired proportions ofthe head and foot margins. This provision is made so that plates with ahead to foot dimension less than the standard size pla-tes can be used. The head to foot dimension of the standard size plate .is such that they will be maintained in position by the cross bars or by projections tted `to the .cross bars.

The arrangement for a twin-gear device is shown in Fig. 8. chief .difference between the two arrangements is that in the triple-gear ar rangement the movement of two dogs is Ymais tained in parallelism in opposite directions by the gears, whereas in the twin-gear arrangement the What I claim is:

1. A mechanical mount for the assembly of ilat printing right hand plates and left hand plates constituting at least one unit section, parallel racks incorporated in said section, and movable endwise of said section, the middle one of Asaid racks being movable between back marginal edges of right hand plates and back marginal edges of left `hand plates, and the left-hand and right-hand racks being movable adjacent to the fore-edges of the respective plates, gear pinions incorporated in said section and engageable by said racks., eccentric pins carried by said pinions., and plate-edge-c'lamping dogs each operatively connected to two eccentric pins, said middle rack engaging sets of pinion for rotating eccentric pins whereby to'move dogs bodily into clamping engagement with the back marginal .edges of 'both right-hand plates and left-hand plates.

2. Amechanical mount for the assembly .of flat printing right hand plates and left hand plates constituting at least .one unit sectionparallel racks incorporated in said section, and movable endwiseof said section, the middle one of said racksbeing movable between back marginal edges of righ-t hand plates and back marginal edges .of left hand plates, and `the left-hand and righthand racks being movable adjacent to the foreedges of the respective plates, gear pinionsv incorporated in said section and engagea-ble by said racks, eccentric pins carried by said pinions, `and plate-edge-clamping .dogs each operativelyconnec-ted to two eccentric pins, said middle rack engaging sets of pinions lfor rotating eccentric pins whereby to move dogs bodily finto clamping engagement with the back marginal edges of both right-hand plates and left-.hand plates, one pinion of each of said sets carrying a pair of eccentric pi-ns, said pair of eccentric pins engaging a pair of does.

. JOHN MURRAY. 

